our beliefs

1. TRINITY:

   There is one God existing in the unity of three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
   (See Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 1:35; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; 2 Thess. 2:13-16; Heb. 1:1-3; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:6-12)

   1. GOD THE FATHER:

      The first person in the Trinity. He is the creator of all things, which He did in, through and for His Son, Jesus Christ. God created humanity as the apex of creation. God is eternal, holy, just, all-powerful, all-knowing and most loving.
      (See Gen. 1:1-31; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1:3-6; Heb. 1:1-5)

   2. JESUS CHRIST:

      Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity. Jesus is fully man and fully God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for humankind and atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was sufficient to cleanse humankind from all sin as well as the penalty of sin, which is death. On the third day following His death, Jesus rose physically from the dead in accordance with the Scriptures, ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.
      (See John 1:1, 14, 29; 20:28; Rom. 3:10-12, 23; Phil. 2:5-6; Col. 1:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; 3:16; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9)

   3. HOLY SPIRIT:

      The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God, the third person in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ and applies His saving work to the life of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. He is the counselor sent by God to assist believers in their walk with Christ while they are alive on earth. By prayer and petition, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the heart of a Christian is reborn into a new life with Christ.
      (See Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:11; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7, 16; Acts 2:2-4, 38-39; Acts 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11, 26-27; Rom. 14:17-18; 1 Cor. 2:9-16; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 1:13-14)

2. BIBLE:

   The Holy Bible is the infallible, inspired, authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths. All Scripture is God-breathed and is our source for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that Christians may be thoroughly equipped for every good work in a life committed to Jesus Christ. God's Holy Word has the power to transform lives so that those who live in obedience to the Scriptures can experience a continual renewal in Christ.
   (See Luke 24:27, 45; Rom. 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:25; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

3. SIN:

   Satan and true evil exist in the world, and are constantly working for the spiritual destruction of humanity. Humanity was created good and upright; but by voluntary rebellion against the commands of God through the temptation of Satan, humanity sinned. God justly punished sin by death. Humanity's only hope for redemption is Jesus Christ and his work on the cross which turns away God's wrath. The Holy Spirit works to create new spiritual life in the individual which results in repentance from all sin and commitment to follow Christ.
   (See Gen. 1:26-31; 3:1-7; Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; John 11:25-26; Acts 2:21; 3:19; Rom. 5:12- 21; Eph. 6:11-12; Heb. 9:27; James 4:17; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; 1 John 1:9; Rev. 14:9-11; 20:12-15; 21:8)

4. SALVATION:

   We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection. Through repentance we receive forgiveness for our sins and salvation. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human effort. There is no other path to salvation except through faith and belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A true believer in Christ cannot lose their salvation because nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus.
   (See John 11:25-26, 14:6-7; Rom. 8:38-39, 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Gal. 2:16; 3:8; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:6-10; Titus 3:5-7)

5. CHURCH:

   The church exists as the body of Christ. It functions as a worshipping community, a healing fellowship, an equipping center and a deploying agency. Members of the church have a responsibility to use the spiritual gifts God has given them for ministry. We believe in accountability to each other in the church, expressed in church membership. The Church is called to fulfill Christ's Great Commission: to proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.
   (See Matt. 16:18, 28:19; Acts 1:8, 20:28; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:23-24; Col. 1:18, 24)

   1. SPIRITUAL GIFTS:

      The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts in believers to build and sanctify the Church. The lists of these gifts in the Bible are not exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters.
      (See Rom. 1:11; 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31; 14:1-40; Eph. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:5-16; Heb. 2:4; 1 Pet. 4:10)

   2. SACRAMENTS:

      A sacrament is a rite that conveys divine grace, blessing, or sanctity upon the believer who participates in it. We believe that God has bestowed upon believers in Christ two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is both a sign and a seal of initiation into the covenant community of faith and identification with Christ and other believers. It points primarily to the cleansing of sins, death to the sinful self and newness of life in Christ. Baptism can be administered to believers and children of believers.
      (See Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38).

      The other sacrament is the Lord's Supper (Communion). This sacrament reminds believers of the great sacrifice Jesus made when He offered Himself up to death on the cross as an atoning work for the sins of mankind. We believe that Christ is spiritually present in the two elements, which signify the body and blood of our Lord.
      (See Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23-26)

6. SECOND COMING:

   Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. With all of creation we exclaim, "Come Lord Jesus".
   (See Matt. 24:30; 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 2 Thess. 1:7-8; Rev. 1:7, 22:20)

NOTE - For a more detailed explanation of our beliefs, please refer to the Westminster Confession of Faith.